Professor David Levine on the Legality of "Patient Dumping" of Mentally Ill

The ACLU has filed a class action against the state of Nevada charging it dumps mentally ill patients, including some who were seriously ill and impaired, on other states by giving patients that hospitals reject one-way bus tickets.

Professor David Levine talked with Voice of Russia radio about the practice. "It's tempting, but totally wrong," Levine said of the scheme, which has been dubbed "Greyhound therapy."

"You could be looking at significant sanctions.... It's a very serious case."

“There is nothing wrong with sending somebody back to their home, back where you know there is a family who can take care of them," Levine said. "The problem here is sending people where they have no reason to go to a particular place, no support services, nobody knows they are coming.”

The city of San Francisco, where many patients were sent, is also considering filing suit.

Listen to the entire interview here. Read the related news story, also from Voice of Russia, here.

The European drafting process remains far from complete, and actual adoption of the resulting proposals will surely be a gradual thing. Throughout, however, these developments will have a significant UC Hastings component, and UC Hastings students will have the benefit of information about these significant international trends.

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